Friday, October 31, 2008

1894] Number One with a bullet: Billboard Advertising in published for the first time (11/1). The trade publication will later be known as Billboard Magazine...

1926] The final disappearing act: Harry Houdini dies from complications of a ruptured appendix at 52 (10/31) on Halloween, no less...

1941] What huge busts: Okay get your mind off the female anatomy. Mount Rushmore is declared completed after 14 years of work. 60-foot busts of Washington, Jefferson, (Theodore) Roosevelt and Lincoln are finished and the landmark would soon open to the public (10/31)...

1947] "Happy Trails": The legendary thoroughbred "Man O' War" dies at the ripe old age of 30 (11/1)...1979] Former first lady Mamie Eisenhower passes away from natural causes at 82 (11/1)...1988] Distinguished director, producer and actor John Houseman dies from spinal cancer at 86 (10/31)...1988] Debbie Gibson holds a seance at her Halloween party to contact the spirits of Liberace and Sid Vicious but gets Zasu Pitts instead (10/31)...1991] Broadway producer Joseph Papp is the victim of cancer at 70 (10/31)...1993] River Phoenix collapses and dies in Hollywood at 23 (10/31). An autopsy reveals that he overdosed on heroin and cocaine...1993] Movie director Federico Fellini dies following a heart attack at 73 (10/31)...1999] Football Hall of Famer Walter Payton is a victim of cancer at 45 (11/1)...

1959] The birth of payola: "Twenty-One" contestant Charles Van Doren tells a House Subcommittee on Legislative Oversight that he was given questions and answers in advance of his appearances. The committee starts radio investigations as part of their probe. Uh-oh (11/2)...

1964] SOLD: CBS Inc. purchases 80% of the New York Yankees for $11 million (11/2). They buy the remaining shares eventually. CBS actually loses money when they sell the team to the George Steinbrenner-led Cleveland group 9 years later...

1970] Wedding Bells: Michelle Phillips and actor Dennis Hopper get married (10/31). The marriage ends in divorce 8 days later when Michelle discovers Dennis's sneaker smelling fetish...1988] Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis walk down the aisle (11/1). Two years later it's over...

1976] From peanuts to president: Former Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter defeats Republican incumbent Gerald R. Ford (11/2) to become the first president from the deep south since the Civil War. Texas is in the southwest so LBJ doesn't qualify...

Thursday, October 30, 2008

1938] War of the Worlds: H.G. Wells' epic is aired on "Mercury Theater on the air presents Orson Welles". Of the 6 million listeners, more than 1.7 million believed the fictional account of Martians invading New Jersey. Maybe they were looking for Jimmy Hoffa...

1961] Body? What body?: The Soviet Party Congress orders the removal of Josef Stalin's body from Lenin's tomb, setting up this great trivia question: Who's buried in Stalin's tomb? Ans: Nobody...

1966] Johnny U: The greatest QB of them all, Johnny Unitas passes Y.A. Tittle as the all-time passing leader with 252 yards in a game. Johnny U. will also become the 1st QB to pass for over 40,000 yards...

1974] Are you ready to rumble?: "The Rumble in the Jungle" is fought in Kinshasa, Zaire with Muhammad Ali beating George Foreman on a TKO in the 8th round...

1975] DROP DEAD!!!: That was the subtle headline on page one of the New York Daily News after President Gerald R. Ford says he would veto any proposed federal bailout of New York City. Yep, better to use the money on police body armor in Keokuk, Iowa any day...

1989] A piece of the Rock: Mitsubishi Estate Company announces the purchase of 51% of Rockefeller Group Inc. This includes Radio City Music Hall and Rockefeller Center...

1997] Convicted: A Cambridge (MA) jury convicts British au pair Louise Woodward of second degree murder in the death of 8-month old Matthew Eappen. The judge later reduces the verdict to manslaughter and sets Woodward free. Who was the judge? Lance Ito???

2000] "Happy Trails": Legendary comedian and the first host of "The Tonight Show", author and composer Steve Allen dies from cardiac arrest at 78...2007] Linda Stein, 62, former record industry manager and "real estate agent to the stars" is found dead in her 5th Avenue apartment. Her former personal assistant is charged with the murder...

1998] Deja Vu all over again: The space shuttle Discovery blasts off with 77-year old John Glenn. In 1962 he was the first American astronaut to orbit...

2004] Osama sighting: Osama bin Laden in a videotaped statement, directly admits for the first time, ordering the September 11 attacks. He tells America "the best way to avoid another Manhattan" is to stop threatening Muslims' security"...For more on October 29th: CLICK:

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

1636] Crimson coming: Harvard College is founded in the Bay State. The first school of higher education was originally called "Court of Massachusetts Bay Colony"...

1886] Lady Liberty: The Statue of Liberty is dedicated in New York Harbor by President Grover Cleveland. The original name of the statue: "Liberty Enlightening The World." On the same date in 1936 the statue was rededicated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on its 50th anniversary and in 1986 the centennial was celebrated...

1950] Debuted on this date: "The Jack Benny Show" on CBS-TV. The show will run until August of 1977...

1961] Ground breaking: For Shea Stadium in Flushing Meadows. Shea will open in 1964 when the World's Fair opens...

1962] Joining the 7 TD club: Giants QB Y.A.Tittle becomes the 3rd QB in the NFL (Sid Luckman and Adrian Burk were 1st & 2nd) to pass for 7 touchdowns in one game. It led the Giants to a 49-34 victory over the Washington Redskins...

1973] Sayonara: Secretariat wins his final race in Canada, then goes to stud after 16 wins in 21 races. "Big Red" will live to the age of 19...

1976] Up the river: Former Nixon presidential aide John Erlichman begins his sentence for Watergate related wrong-doings...

1981] Comeback kids: The Dodgers come back from a 2-0 game deficit to beat the Yankees in 4 straight games to win the World Series. Yankee reliever George Frasier loses 3 games in the series...

2007] Twice as nice: The Boston Red Sox win their 2nd World Series in 4 years as they sweep the Colorado Rockies in 4 games...For more on October 28th: CLICK: http://melphillipsnowandthen.com

2004] Joining the 700 club: Barry Bonds 700th home run ball fetches $804,129 in an on-line auction. Steve Williams who came up with the ball in the bleachers on Sept. 17th announces he's quitting his job as a brokers assistant (Hello Fiji)...

2004] Worth the wait: The Boston Red Sox win their first World Series title since 1918 by sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals in 4 games...

Friday, October 24, 2008

1926] Curtains: Harry Houdini plays his last performance, at the Garrick Theatre in Detroit (10/24)...2003] Concorde makes its last commercial flight, bringing the era of supersonic transport to a close, at least for then (10/24)...

1931] Debuted on this date: The George Washington Bridge opens to the public (10/24)...

1964] Turn around, look at me: Viking Jim Marshall, a very good player but lacking a good sense of direction, runs 66 yards in the wrong direction after picking up a fumble, costing the Vikes a 2-point safety (10/25)...

1972] "Happy Trails": Severe heart problems take their toll on Jackie Robinson who passes away at 53 (10/24)...1990] William S. Paley, founder of CBS, Inc. dies from kidney failure at 89 (10/26)...1991] Rock promoter Bill Graham is killed in a helicopter crash at 60 (10/25)...1992] Singer/songwriter Roger Miller is a victim of cancer at 56 (10/25)...1994] One-man band, Wilbert Harrison suffers a fatal stroke at 65 (10/26)...2005] American civil rights activist Rosa Parks dies in her Detroit apartment at the age of 92 (10/24)...2005] Co-owner of the Giants, Wellington Mara succumbs to lymphoma at 89 (10/25)...

1981] Fall Classics: In one of the more bizarre George Steinbrenner sagas, 'The Boss' claims he broke his hand in an elevator fight in L.A. during the World Series. After winning the first two games, the Yankees get swept in 4 games (10/25) by the Dodgers...1986] Bill Buckner happens (10/25) as the Mets beat the Red Sox and go on to win the World Series in the next game...2003] The Marlins' Josh Beckett pitches Florida to the World Series title with a 2-0 shutout of the Yankees when he tags Jorge Posada on the tush for the final out (10/25)...2005] The Chicago White Sox win their first World Series since 1917 by defeating Houston 1-0 in game 4 (10/26)...

1990] Holy KO: Evander Holyfield KOs Buster Douglas for the heavyweight title (10/25). Douglas held the title briefly following a surprise KO of Mike Tyson...

1996] How do you mend a broken heart?: Joe Torre's brother Frank Torre receives a heart transplant during the 1996 World Series (10/25). Frank is living a healthy life at 77...

2002] Russian justice: A hostage siege by Chechen rebels at a Moscow theater ends with 129 of the 800 plus captives dead, most from a knockout gas used by Russian special forces who storm the theater (10/26)...

2002] Snipers snuffed: Army veteran John Allen Muhammad and teenage friend Lee Boyd Malvo are arrested in connection with the Washington area sniper attacks (10/24). They are both serving prison sentences...

Thursday, October 23, 2008

1915] Suffragettes: 25,000-30,000 women march on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan demanding the right to vote...

1946] UN meets to greet: The United Nations General Assembly convenes for the first time in a Flushing Meadows auditorium...

1956] Debuted on this date: NBC-TV broadcasts the first video tape coast-to-coast. It's a tape of Jonathan Winters performing...

1973] Dead air: President Richard M. Nixon agrees to turn over the Watergate tapes as the clock ticks...

1983] Beirut blast: A suicide truck bombing at Beirut International Airport in Lebanon kills 241 U.S. Marines and sailors. Another attack kills 58 French paratroopers...

1989] Bizarre Boston story: Charles Stuart claims that he and his pregnant wife had been shot by a black robber. Carol Stuart and her prematurely delivered baby died. Stuart, who was white, was later implicated in the shootings and apparently committed suicide...

1993] Walk-off: Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Joe Carter hits the 2nd walk-off home run in World Series history and for the first time a team from outside the U.S. wins the Fall Classic. The (Mitch) Phillies (Williams) are the (Mitch) losers (Williams) in game 6, 8-6...Bill Mazeroski of the Pirates hit the 1st walk-off HR in Series history to beat the Yankees in 1960...

1998] Sniper attack: Dr. Barnett Slepian, an abortion doctor was killed at his home in suburban Buffalo when a sniper fired through his kitchen window. James Kopp is convicted of the murder and is serving 25-to-life in prison...

2004] "Happy Trails": Legendary tenor Robert Merrill, a fixture singing our national anthem and 'God Bless America' at Yankee Stadium, dies at 87 while watching game one of the 2004 World Series (Red Sox-Cardinals) at home...

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

1746] The Tiger roars: The College of New Jersey receives its charter. The name of the school will change to Princeton...

1883] Meet the Met: The original Metropolitan Opera House in New York holds its grand opening with a performance of Gounod's "Faust"...

1934] Not so pretty: Bank robber Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd is shot to death by federal agents at a farm in Ohio...

1962] JFK tells all: President John F. Kennedy addresses a TV audience about the Russian missile bases in Cuba and the world will hold its collective breath until the missiles are removed and the crisis ends...

1968] Making a big splash: Apollo 7 safely splashes down in the Atlantic Ocean after orbiting the Earth 163 times...

1979] Opening the door: The U.S. government allows the deposed Shah of Iran to travel to New York for medical treatment...

1981] Buh-bye: The Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization is decertified for its strike the previous August...

1986] Chopper down: WNBC traffic reporter Jane Dornacker is killed while doing traffic reports. Her chopper goes down in the Hudson River. Joey Reynolds was on the air when tragedy struck...

2000] The Rocket explodes: Mets catcher Mike Piazza is once again Roger Clemens' target, this time in the World Series when Clemens throws a bat chard in the direction of Piazza, who's running to first base...

2002] The sniper strikes again: A bus driver is shot to death in Aspen Hill (MD) in the 13th and final attack by the Washington area sniper...

1973] Nixon cans Cox: Special Watergate prosecutor Archibald Cox is fired by President Richard Nixon. Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelhaus resign in protest...

1976] No more house calls in New York: The Nets sell Julius "Dr. J" Erving to the Philadelphia 76ers...

1977] Rock & Roll tragedy: Three members of Lynyrd Skynyrd die in the crash of a chartered plane near McComb (MS)...

1979] JFK remembered: The John F. Kennedy Library opens in Boston...

1992] The World Series in Canada, eh?: In the first WS game to be played outside the U.S., Toronto beats Atlanta 3-2...

2004] Down but never out: The Red Sox come from a 3 game deficit to win 4 straight over the Yankees to win the AL pennant. They go on to win the World Series too...

2004] Chipped: U.S. Army staff sergeant Ivan "Chip" Frederick pleads quilty to helping plan the deadly U.S. embassy bombings in Arfrica in 1998 that killed 224 including 12 Americans...

2005] The defense rests forever: A defense lawyer in Saddam Hussein's mass murder trial is abducted from his office and found murdered hours later...

1933] Brainiac sighting: Physicist Albert Einstein arrives in the U.S. as a refugee from Nazi Germany (10/17)...

1954] Bad call-letter move: WNNNNNNNNNBC Radio changes calls to WRCA but not for long. The call letters will soon revert back to WNBC (10/18)...

1964] Pinstripe parade: The Yankees fire manager Yogi Berra, hiring Johnny Keane whom they faced in the World Series against the Cardinals (10/17)...1978] The Yankees beat the Dodgers in 6 games to repeat as World Champs. They do not make a managerial change (10/17)...1984] Lou Piniella is named Yankee manager (10/17)...1988] Dallas Green replaces Piniella as Yankee manager (10/17)...

1965] That's fair: The 1964-1965 World's Fair closes after 2 years. More than 51 million attended, including this WMID jock who did a show live back to Atlantic City for those 2 days with music and all from the New York State Pavilion. The remote was set up on a phone line (10/17)...

1977] Reggie-Reggie-Reggie: Reggie Jackson makes World Series history with back-to-back-to-back home runs, each on the first pitch. No one did it before or since (10/18)...

1977] Psst, it's the SST: The supersonic Concorde makes its first landing in New York City, shattering windows at Archie Bunker's house (10/19)...

1989] A whole lotta shaking going on: A funny thing happened on the way to game 3 of the Oakland-San Francisco World Series - an earthquake. The Giants sweep the A's in 4 games when the WS resumes a few days later (10/17)...

2004] The bloody sock: Curt Schilling, bloody sock and all, pitches the Red Sox to a 4-2 win over the Yankees, setting up a winner-take-all game 7 for the ALCS showdown (10/19). The Sox win the World Series that year...

Thursday, October 16, 2008

1963] Curtains: The last edition of The New York Daily Mirror hits the newstands...

1969] Truly Amazin': The New York Mets win their 1st World Series as a harmless fly ball hit by future Mets manager Davey Johnson drops into Cleon Jones' glove: I watched all the action in VP/GM Perry S. Ury's office at WRKO...

1978] The Pope of all Popes: Polish Cardinal Karol Wojtyla is elected Pope, taking the name John Paul II...

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

1951] Premiered on this date: "I Love Lucy" starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. This all-time classic will run 10 original seasons and in re-run forever...1959] "The Untouchables" starring Robert Stack (let's not forget the narration by Walter Winchell). The original series only runs for 4 seasons...1969] MSG-TV carries its 1st NHL game (Rangers vs. North Stars)...1973] "The Tomorrow Show" with Tom Snyder debuts...

1962] Series Saver: Yankee second baseman Bobby Richardson grabs Willie McCovey's line drive for the final out as the Bronx Bombers win their 20th World Series over the SF Giants in 7 games...

1964] Curtains: Nikita Krushchev is removed as Soviet Premier and replaced by Alexei N. Kosygin. To wish the new premier good luck, Krushchev pounds Kosygin in the head with his shoe...

1964] "Happy Trails": Cole Porter dies of kidney failure at 73...

1969] Peace & love, man: Peace demonstrators stage activities across the country, including a candlelight march around the White House to protest the Vietnam War...

1976] Veeps get into it: Walter Mondale and Bob Dole face off in the first VP debate...

1986] Mets marathon: The Mets beat the Houston Astros 7-6 in 16 innings (the longest postseason game in history at the time) to win the NL Pennant and will win the World (Bill) Series (Buckner) over (Bill) the (Buckner) Boston (Bill) Red Sox (Buckner)...

1991] By a hair: The Senate narrowly confirms the nomination of Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court (52-48)...

1973] The Hall of Fame awaits: Willie Mays gets his last hit as the Mets beat the Oakland A's in game 2 of the World Series, which Oakland will win...

1977] "Happy Trails": Bing Crosby is the victim of a fatal heart attack at 74...1990] Leonard Bernstein, a heavy smoker, dies at 72 of emphysema...

1979] You say hello and I say goodbye: Wayne Gretzky of the Edmonton Oilers scores the first of his NHL record 894 goals in a home game against Vancouver...1985] Joe Namath's #12 is retired as the Jets beat Miami 23-7 on Monday Night Football...

1984] Sparking both leagues: Detroit Tiger manager Sparky Anderson becomes the 1st manager to win 100 games and a World Series in both leagues...

2003] Guilty as charged: John Allen Muhammad pleads innocent to murder in the Washington-area sniper case. He is later convicted and sentenced to death...For more on October 14th:

Monday, October 13, 2008

1775] Fleet's in: The Continental Congress orders the construction of a naval fleet for the U.S...

1843] The birth of the B'rith: The B'nai B'rith is founded in New York City...

1960] Debatable: Richard M. Nixon and JFK hold their 3rd televised presidential debate with Nixon in Hollywood and Kennedy in New York...

1960] The Walk-Off is born: The Pirates' Bill Mazeroski hits the 1st walk-off home run in World Series history as Pittsburgh wins the series over the Yankees...

1967] The ABA is born: Oakland beats Anaheim in the 1st ABA game in history, 134-129...

1970] "Happy Trails": Janis Joplin's ashes are scattered off the coast of California...1974] Ed Sullivan dies from cancer at 73...

1985] Wrap & Roll: Cardinal rookie Vince Coleman is injured prior to the NLCS when he's caught in Busch Stadium's automatic tarp. The Cardinals would go on to win the NL pennant but lose to KC in the World Series...

1996] Here's the kicker: Jet kicker Nick Lowery breaks Jan Stenerud's NFL field goal record with his 374 field goal...

1998] Locked out: The NBA cancels the first 2 weeks of the season because of a lockout of players...

1999] Not so grand: The JonBenet Ramsey grand jury is dismissed after 13 months when there's not enough evidence to charge anyone in the 6-year old's strangulation death...

Friday, October 10, 2008

1492] Lost and Found: Christopher Columbus reaches the New World when he sights a Bahamian Island believing he has reached East Asia (10/12). Hey I get lost trying to find aisle 8 in Food Emporium...

1845] The Fleet's in: The U.S. Naval Academy opens in Annapolis (MD) with 50 midshipmen and 7 professors enrolled. Midshipmen study at the academy for four years and train aboard ships each summer (10/10). The first graduating class was in June of 1854. If you haven't been there yet - make the trip...

1951] Fall Classic memories: The Casey Stengel led Yankees beat the New York Giants in 6 games to win their 3rd consecutive WS. That number will grow to 5. Joe DiMaggio in his final year and rookie Mickey Mantle both played the outfield together with Mantle in right field, DiMag in his customary center field position (10/10)...1957] Lou Burdette's 3rd WS victory gives the Braves the championship over the Yankees in 7 games (10/10)...1967] The 'Impossible Dream' ends. Red Sox pitcher Jim Lonborg makes a valiant attempt to pitch on two days rest but loses game 7 of the Boston-St. Louis World Series. Final score 7-2 Cardinals. I was at that game (10/12)...1973] The New York Mets beat the Reds in game 5 of the NLCS to advance to the World Series against Oakland (10/10). We won't talk about the results of that WS...

1968] Lift off: Apollo 7 is launched with Wally Schirra, Don Fulton Eisele and R. Walter Cunningham aboard. It's the first time live television broadcasts were received from space (10/11)...

1971] "Happy Trails": Gene Vincent dies from a ruptured stomach ulcer at 36 (10/12)...1997] John Denver is killed in a plane crash when he runs out of fuel. Denver was 53 (10/12)...1999] Basketball Hall Of Famer Wilt Chamberlain dies in his sleep of a heart attack at 72 (10/12)...2004] Christopher Reeve passes away from cardiac arrest after slipping into a coma. The former Superman was 52 (10/10)...

Thursday, October 9, 2008

1701] Eli's coming: The Collegiate School of Connecticut is chartered in New Haven. The name of the school will be changed to Yale...

1855] Sewn up: Isaac Singer patents the sewing machine motor. The Singer Sewing Machine will become the standard for all sewing machines and still is...

1872] Mail order is born: Aaron Montgomery Ward starts his mail-order business with the delivery of the first mail order catalog. The firm becomes Montgomery-Ward...

1958] "Happy Trails": Pope Pius XII dies of kidney disease at 82 after serving as the pontiff for 19 years...1967] Latin American guerrilla Che Guevara is executed in Bolivia while trying to incite revolution. Guevara was 39...1974] Oskar Schindler dies in Frankfort, Germany at 66 from an undisclosed illness. Schindler was credited with saving the lives of over 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust...

1967] Red Sox rebound: Boston rebounds to take game 5 of the World Series in St. Louis as Jim Lonborg pitches a 3-hitter against the Cardinals...

1973] Curtains: Elvis Presley and Priscilla D-I-V-O-R-C-E after 6 years of marriage...1977] North Carolina basketball coach Dean Smith retires as the winningest college basketball coach in history. The team's record under Smith: 879-254 with 2 national titles and 11 final fours...

1985] Strawberry Fields Forever: The official dedication of Strawberry Fields is held on what would have been John Lennon's 45th birthday. Son Sean was 10 years old. He's now 33. It was Mayor Ed Koch who named the patch of Central Park real estate in the shadows of The Dakota where John Lennon lived and died. As is the custom, there will be fans congregating there today on what would have been John's 68th birthday...

1985] Surrender: The hijackers of the Achille Lauro surrender after the ship docks in Port Said, Egypt...

2000] A hulluva feat: Brett Hull passes dad, Bobby, on the all-time scoring list, putting him in 9th place with his 611th goal...

2002] Sniper rampage: A man is gunned down moments after filling his tank at a gas station in Manassas (VA) in the latest sniper shooting in the Washington, D.C. area...

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

1871] We didn't start the fire: The Great Fire of Chicago kills 250 and leaves 90,000 homeless. Four square miles of the Windy City (named for loud-mouthed politicians not the gusty winds) is destroyed...

1918] This is a hero: Sgt. Alvin C. York almost single-handedly kills 25 German soldiers and captures 132 more in the Argonne Forest in France. York is awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor...

1938] Turning the tables: The cover of "The Saturday Evening Post" has a portrait of Norman Rockwell...

1944] Premiered on this date: The radio show, "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" debuts...

1956] Perfecto: Yankees pitcher Don Larsen becomes the 1st and only pitcher to throw not only a no-hitter but a perfect game in the World Series, over Brooklyn 2-0 at Yankee Stadium. It was never done before or since...

1967] Gotcha: Guerrilla leader Che Guevara of Cuba, and his men are captured in Bolivia...

1973] Basebrawl: A brawl erupts in Game 3 of the National League playoffs between the Mets and Reds as Pete Rose and Bud Harrelson duke it out at second base. The Mets win the game 9-2 to take a 3-2 edge in games. They will win the series and move on to the World Series against Oakland. This they lose...

1991] Hallowed ground: A slave burial site is found by construction workers in lower Manhattan. The 'Negro Burial Ground' had been closed in 1790. Over a dozen skeletons were found...

2003] Wedding Bells: Vivendi Universal and General Electric announce an agreement to merge into NBC Universal...

2004] Not a good thing: Martha Stewart begins her 5-month jail sentence for lying about a stock sale...For more on October 8th:

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

1916] Rambling Wrecks: Georgia Tech beats Cumberland College 222-0. As Warner Wolf would say, "if you took 221 points in this game, you would still lose" and here's the kicker: Georgia Tech gained 978 yards on the ground, never throwing a pass. Now that's running up the score and the clock...

1952] Billy Ball on defense: Second baseman Billy Martin makes a game-saving catch as the Yankees win their 4th straight World Series, beating Brooklyn in Game 7...

1960] Debatable: JFK and Richard Nixon square off in round 2 of their presidential debates. General consensus has JFK wining this one too...

1960] Premiered on this date: "Route 66" starring George Maharis and Martin Milner will run 4 seasons...1982] That horrible screeching coming from the Winter Garden Theater can only be "Cats", opening on Broadway. It will become the longest running show in B'way history...1995] Boston's Fleet Center a.k.a. as the 'Fleece Center' opens with a 4-4 tie between the Bruins and Islanders despite Cam Neely's hat trick for Boston...

1967] Game 3 of the World Series between St. Louis and Boston goes to the Cardinals 5-2 as they go one game up with a 2-1 game edge in the series...

1985] Tragedy at sea: Four Palestinian terrorists hijack the Achille Lauro. They surrender after 2 days but push wheelchair bound passenger Leon Klinghofer off the boat...

1988] You're fired: Lou Piniella is fired as Yankee manager by George Steinbrenner for the second time. Don't look now but here comes "Billy V" and all Piniella will do is win the World Series as manager of the Cincinnati Reds in 1990...

1988] Turn out the lights: At 5:30 p.m. WNBC goes off the air. The station that started as experimental 2XB in 1919 breathed its last radio breath, signing off forever. WFAN took over the 660 frequency...

2001] Record-breaking: Barry Bonds wraps up his record-breaking season by hitting his 73rd home run while Rickey Henderson becomes the 25th player to record 3,000 hits...

2003] Elected: The Governator, Arnold Schwarzenegger is elected Governor of Cahl-e-for-knee-uh in the recall election of Gray Davis...

Monday, October 6, 2008

1927] Premiered on this date: "The Jazz Singer" becomes the first 'talkie' based on the short story "The Day of Atonement" by Sampson Raphaelson. Al Jolson stars...1959] "Pillow Talk" starring Doris Day and Rock Hudson. This is the first of 3 films starring the box office favorites...

1945] The "Billy Goat Curse": begins in Chicago when a Cub fan is refused admission to a Cubs World Series game because he had a goat with him. William "Billy Goat" Sianis, owner of a local tavern puts a curse on the Cubs. It works. Not only do the Cubs lose that WS but they would never win another one. There must have been a curse on the Cubbies earlier, too. The last WS they won was in 1908...

1981] "Happy Trails": Egyptian President Anwar-el Sadat, 63, is assassinated by Islamic militants at a military rally in Cairo...1983] Cardinal Terence Cooke of New York succumbs to cancer at 62...1989] The legendary Bette Davis dies in France from cancer at 81...

1983] Crossing the Hudson: The New York Jets announce they are leaving Shea Stadium for the Meadowlands where they play their 1st game in NJ in 1984...

1996] That's debatable: Bob Dole and President Bill Clinton meet in their 1st debate in Hartford (CT) as a TV audience of 46.1 million viewers look on...

Friday, October 3, 2008

1931] Premiered on this date: "Dick Tracy" makes its debut in the Detroit Daily Mirror (10/4)...1950] "You Bet Your Life", hosted by the 'one, the only' Groucho Marx (10/5)...1954] "Father Knows Best" starring Robert Young begins a successful 8-year run (10/3)...1955] "Captain Kangaroo" starring Bob Keeshan debuts and will air 19 seasons and then in syndication (10/3)...1955] "The Mickey Mouse Club" airs orginal episodes until 1962 before being syndicated and then until 1977 (10/3). There was a revival of the show in 1989 that would run 5 seasons and starred Christina Aguilera, JC Chavez, Keri Russell, Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake...1961] "The Dick Van Dyke Show" will run for 5 seasons (10/3)...

1951] Shot heard round the world: The Giants' Bobby Thomson hits a 3-run, walk-off home run beating the Brooklyn Dodgers in the third and deciding game of their playoffs. Russ Hodges said it best: "The Giants win the pennant, The Giants win the pennant." (10/3)...

1957] The Space Age is launched: The Soviet Union launches Sputnik, the first man-made satellite into orbit (10/4)...

1970] "Happy Trails": Janis Joplin's body is found in a Hollywood hotel room. Janis, who had just finished her "Pearl" LP, died of a heroin overdose at 27 (10/4)...2000] Cars' bass player Benjamin Orr, is the victim of pancreatic cancer at 53 (10/3)...

1986] What's the frequency Kenneth?: That was the question posed to Dan Rather as he was about to be mugged (10/4)...

1992] The Pope is ripped: Sinead O'Connor tears up a picture of the Pope during her "Saturday Night Live" appearance. We're not quite sure why??? (10/3)...

1995] O.J. walks: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the 1994 murders of wife Nicole Brown and Ronald L. Goldman (10/3).Justice will prevail in the civil trial...

2003] At the maul: Roy Horn (Siegfried & Roy) is mauled by Montecord, a 7-year old tiger during a stage performance in Las Vegas. Horn was celebrating his 59th birthday while Montecord was celebrating lunch (10/3)...

2005] Whips and chains: Defying the House, the Senate votes 90-9 to approve an amendment that would prohibit the use of "cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment." against anyone in U.S. government custody. This was a result of what transpired at Abu Ghraib (10/5)...

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

1903] World Series #1: The visiting Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Boston Americans 7-3 in the first World Series game...

1908] A-Ford-able?:Henry Ford introduces the Model T to the market for $825...

1952] Premiered on this date: "This Is Your Life", hosted by Ralph Edwards. The biopic series will air in its original format for 9 seasons...1955] "The Honeymooners" kicks off 16 successful seasons...1962] "The Lucy Show", featuring Lucille Ball as Lucy Carmichael, runs for 12 years...1962] Johnny Carson debuts as regular host of NBC's "Tonight Show"...

1961] Roger that: Yankees slugger Roger Maris hits home run #61 at Yankee Stadium, breaking Babe Ruth's season record of 60 in 1927...

1964] It's called the 1st amendment: The Free Speech Movement is launched at the University of California at Berkeley...

1967] The Impossible Dream: Those of us fortunate enough to have witnessed this will never forget it: The Boston Red Sox Impossible Dream comes true as they clinch their 1st AL pennant since 1946 on the last day of the season. With a 3-way tie between Boston, Detroit and Minnesota, Boston beat the Twins and the Tigers lose, giving the pennant to the Red Sox.

1971] Eggpot: Walt Disney World opens in Orlando. Ten years later, to the day, EPCOT opens (1981). EPCOT stands for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow or by the symbol: $...

1975] The Thrilla in Manilla: Heavyweight champ Muhammad Ali retains his title with a TKO of Joe Frazier in the 15th round...

1993] Every parents' nightmare: 12-year old Polly Klaas is abducted from her California home. Her body is found more than 2 months later...

About Me

Mel Phillips Now & Then is more Now. The Then always follows the Now. Prior to starting 'Remembers' in 2005 and 'Now & Then' on April 7, 2008 I enjoyed a multi-media career which included being one of the Bill Drake program directors. I was involved in the programming of such legendary stations as WOR-FM, WXLO-FM, WNBC, WRKO AM & FM and KQV. I was also General Manager of Hooper Radio, played disc jockey in markets such as Tampa, Nashville, Norfolk and Atlantic City and enjoyed marketing success in syndicated radio for several companies including ABC, MJI and United Stations. My background also includes the music business where I promoted such diverse CBS acts as The Clash, Gloria Estefan, Loverboy, Judas Priest, George Michael & Julio Iglesias. In Special Programming at WCBS-FM I wrote and produced numerous specials and interviewed some of the biggest recording stars. In addition to this post I'm a regular contributor to Radio Daily News. My wife Diane and I reside on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and I'm very proud of my children, Robert Phillips, Lynn Phillips Brough and granddaughters Allyson and Amy...